The 106th Infantry Division ("The Golden Lions")

The 106th Infantry Division, which did not
arrive in the Ardennes until December 9, 1944, was one of the units that bore
the brunt of the initial assault. Though
fighting bravely, they suffered more than 8,000 killed, wounded and
captured. But they managed to hold off
the Germans long enough to throw off their very tight timetable. It was General Manteuffel, commander of the 5th
Panzer Army, who stated that the Division’s action held up his units five days
longer than planned.

The Division was formed in 1943 and spent 18 months
preparing for combat. Like most U.S. infantry divisions, it was made up of three infantry regiments,
three 105mm artillery battalions and one heavy 155mm battalion, along with
various other support units. Not only did the enlisted men lack any
combat experience, but most of its officers did as well. Even General Jones,
the division commander, had never heard a shot fired in anger; but neither had
Eisenhower for that matter. The Golden
Lions, as men of the Division were known, spent the winter training in the
mountains of Tennessee and the summer of 1944 sweltering at Camp Atterbury,
Indiana. Army brass assumed that if recruits received the toughest training the
Army could offer, it would more than make up for any lack of experience.